PSY1101 Critical Thinking

PSY	1101	74992	1, 2008	ONC	Critical Thinking	1.00	Springfield
Subject	Cat-nbr	Class	Term	Mode	Description	Units	Campus

Academic group:	FOSCI
Academic org:	FOS005
Student contribution band:	1
ASCED code:	090701

Staffing
Requisites
Rationale
Synopsis
Objectives
Topics
Texts
Reference materials
Student workload
Assessment details
Important assessment information
Assessment notes
Production date
PDF version

STAFFING

Examiner: Gerry Tehan
Moderator: Graeme Senior

REQUISITES

Pre-requisite: Students must be enrolled in one of the following Programs: BPSH or BPSB. Students enrolled in other degrees may be permitted to enrol in this course with the examiner's approval.

RATIONALE

Much of the study in the course of the four years of this degree is aimed at teaching students to think like a professional psychologist. Largely this involves being able to think critically about any issue that arises and to be able to problem solve. In order to do this one needs a thorough understanding of how people learn, how they evaluate information and how they use it. Students also need to be aware of the shortcoming of the cognitive processes they bring to critical thinking and problem solving that are likely to lead to less than optimal outcomes.

SYNOPSIS

Critical thinking and problem solving skills are attributes that USQ affirms its graduates should have acquired upon completion of their degree. This course is aimed directly at fostering those skills. This is done by examining the topic from a range of perspectives. The techniques of critical thinking and problem solving are explicitly taught. In addition, the issue of bias and other types of cognitive limitations that produce erroneous solutions are also examined.

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

demonstrate an understanding of the psychological basis underpinning critical thinking and problem solving skills (All pieces of assessment);
apply critical thinking and problem solving skills in solving applied problems (In class assignment).

TOPICS

	Description	Weighting (%)
1.	Schema Building	20.00
2.	Hypotheses Testing	20.00
3.	Logical Reasoning	20.00
4.	Problem Solving	20.00
5.	Biases in Decision Making	20.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Goldstein, EB 2008, Cognitive psychology, 2nd edn, Thompson/Wadsworth, Melbourne, Australia.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Cederblom, J & Pausen, DW 1996, Critical reasoning: understanding and criticizing arguments and theories, Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.

Davison, JE & Sternberg, RJ 2003, The psychology of problem solving, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Forte, I & Schurr, S 1997, 180 icebreakers to strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills, Hawker Brownlow Education, Cheltenham, Vic.

Halonen, J & Gray, C 2001, The critical thinking companion for introductory psychology, Worth Publishers, New York.

Kahneman, D & Tversky, A 2000, Choices, values, and frames, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Reisberg, D 2006, Cognition, 3rd edn, Norton, New York.

Stanovich, KE 2007, How to think straight about psychology, 8th edn, Allyn & Bacon, Boston, Mass.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY	HOURS
Assessment	55.00
Class Contact	108.00

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description	Marks out of	Wtg(%)	Due date	Notes
IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT	25.00	25.00	06 Mar 2008	(see note 1)
TEST 1	20.00	25.00	06 Mar 2008	(see note 2)
TEST 2	20.00	25.00	06 Mar 2008	(see note 3)
TEST 3	20.00	25.00	06 Mar 2008	(see note 4)

NOTES

1.: In Class Assignment to be held in Week 12.
2.: Test 1 to be held in Week 4.
3.: Test 2 to be held in Week 8.
4.: Test 3 to be held in Week 11.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
To complete each of the assignments satisfactorily, students must obtain at least 50% of the marks available for each assignment.
Penalties for late submission of required work:
There is no penalty for late submission of assignments.
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the available weighted marks for the summative assessment items
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks (or grades) obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
Examination information:
There is no examination for this course.
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
As there are no examinations in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.
University Regulations:
Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

9.	Access to email, discussion groups and the internet is a departmental requirement. Students are expected to open their university provided email account and check it regularly for personal communication. Information sent this way will be regarded as being receivable.

This version produced 27 May 2008.